Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

An Illinois nuclear power plant that just last year had been slated for closure could be getting a new lease on life, the facility’s operator said this week. Constellation Energy, which owns Dresden Nuclear Generating Station, has applied with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a 20-year license extension for the Morris, Ill., plant, the company […]

Members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation this week pushed Holtec International to respond to charges that a federal permit bars the company from discharging irradiated wastewater from a nuclear power plant under decommissioning in the commonwealth. In a Wednesday press release, Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), alongside Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.), said they […]

The parties in New Mexico’s ongoing lawsuit over two proposed interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel will no longer have to present their cases next month, a federal court ruled last week. Although oral arguments in New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas’s lawsuit against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had been scheduled for Nov. 15, […]

The utility in charge of California’s last operating nuclear power plant has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to pick up where it left off on a decade-old request to extend the facility’s license, according to agency filings. If approved, Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E) Monday request would see NRC revisit the utility’s 2009 license extension […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has again delayed its final licensing decision for a commercially-operated interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel proposed for southeast New Mexico, the agency said in a webinar this week. Although NRC said in May that it would decide whether to approve Holtec International’s application for its proposed interim storage site […]

Happy Friday, and happy early Halloween, nuke-watchers. Before we head off into the weekend (and before your rad waste reporter dives into the latest Call of Duty installment), here are some other stories RadWaste Monitor was tracking from across the civilian nuclear power space this week. The Department of Energy’s nuclear power chief joined the […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission told a Nevada congresswoman in a recent letter that it was still considering a motion from the Silver State aimed at killing the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. NRC has Nevada’s Sep. 20 request to reopen the agency’s licensing proceedings for the Yucca Mountain site “under advisement in its adjudicatory […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission wants Holtec International to explain why the company has proposed giving itself the power to manage investments from a shuttered New York nuclear plant’s decommissioning trust fund — something the agency said is illegal. In a request for additional information document sent to Holtec Oct. 21, NRC took issue with a […]

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals this week allowed consumer advocacy group Public Citizen to pull out of a joint lawsuit challenging a proposed commercial interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in west Texas, court filings show. Public Citizen, which until Monday was part of a coalition of anti-nuclear groups suing the Nuclear Regulatory […]

A California congressman last week unveiled legislation that, if made law, would establish a dedicated public engagement office within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Rep. Mike Levin’s (D-Calif.) proposed bill, introduced Oct. 21, would establish an “Office of Public Engagement and Participation” within NRC that would, among other things, “support public participation” in agency proceedings and […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will not take disciplinary action against the operator of a California nuclear power plant despite finding that it ran afoul of federal regulations governing the storage of radioactive materials, the agency said in a letter this week. Although NRC’s Sep. 30 inspection of Diablo Canyon Power plant revealed that operator Pacific […]

Holtec International is still waiting on more information regarding a federal bailout crucial to efforts to restart a recently-shuttered nuclear power plant in Michigan, a spokesperson said this week. Holtec, which in September applied for financial assistance from the Department of Energy as part of its civil nuclear credits program, expects to hear from DOE […]

WASHINGTON — The Secretary of Energy told attendees at an international nuclear power conference this week that the U.S. aims to keep nuclear at the center of its energy mixture in the long term. “[W]e are committed to maintaining and modernizing our existing fleet, and we are committed to developing a secure and diverse supply […]

WASHINGTON — Though the government lags private industry in the development of centralized nuclear waste storage, Washington can still be part of the solution, the Secretary of Energy said here this week. “I understand that there are private efforts going on, but we believe that the government has a role in a [nuclear waste] repository […]

Happy Friday, nuke-watchers, happy nuclear science week, and happy Formula One U.S. Grand Prix weekend, for those who celebrate. Before we head off into the weekend, here are some other stories that RadWaste Monitor was tracking this week from across the civilian nuclear power space. Industry and government figures this week celebrated Nuclear Science Week […]

Non-profit advocacy group Public Citizen is angling to get out of a joint lawsuit challenging a proposed interim storage facility in west Texas, court documents show. Washington-based Public Citizen “​​has expressed its desire to terminate its involvement in this matter,” according to a Thursday filing with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in a case […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is rolling out an Instagram account, the agency said in a press release this week. NRC’s new account on photo-sharing social media platform Instagram will be used to post photos, videos and graphics to “provide a more creative approach to information regarding the NRC’s mission, with a focus on the skilled […]

The governor of Michigan last week signed a bill aimed at evaluating whether the Great Lake State could expand nuclear power generation in the wake of a recent plant closure, according to a press release. The measure, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law Oct. 14, directs Michigan’s public service commission to, among other things, […]

Although a Michigan nuclear power plant shut down earlier than expected, capacity losses from nuclear generation outages were lower this summer than they were the year prior, the government’s independent energy auditor said in a report last week. Palisades Nuclear Generating Station, which shut down May 20, removed around 770 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission may not wrap up a proposed series of amendments to its regulations for packaging and transporting radioactive waste for another two years or so, an agency official said during a webinar this week. The current projected publication date for NRC’s proposed changes, which the agency has said would bring its oversight […]

One of two on-site facilities storing spent fuel from a California nuclear power plant can keep operating for another decade or so, the Golden State’s coastal land regulator said last week. The 12-member California Coastal Commission voted 9-0 Oct. 13 to approve a 13 year extension on state permits for the storage pad, located at […]

A recently-shuttered Michigan nuclear power plant that the state hopes to get running again will have new representation in Congress after November’s midterm elections. Until this year, the Covert, Mich., Palisades Nuclear Generating Station was located within the state’s sixth congressional district, represented by Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.). Following a redistricting effort, the plant is […]

Happy Friday, nuke-watchers. Before we head off into the weekend, here are some other stories that RadWaste Monitor was tracking this week from across the civilian nuclear power space. Energy secretary Jennifer Granholm was scheduled Oct. 26 to hold a press conference with the head of the United Nations’ nuclear power authority during an international […]

An amendment to the Senate’s nearly $900 billion defense budget proposed for the 2023 fiscal year would, if made law, direct the Department of Energy to ensure that the U.S. civilian nuclear fleet can run on domestically-sourced fuel. Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.V.) proposed add to the Senate’s $847 billion version of the National Defense Authorization […]

The recent effort to keep California’s last operating nuclear power plant online enjoys bipartisan support among voters in the Golden State, according to a university poll published last week. Among registered voters in California, 56% said that they support keeping Diablo Canyon Power Plant online five years past its scheduled 2025 shutdown date, according to […]

Ahead of the midterm elections, plans for disposing of spent nuclear fuel currently stranded at a California nuclear power plant are among the issues at play in one battle to represent the Golden State in Congress. The issue of nuclear waste disposal is especially personal to the candidates for California’s 49th congressional district — incumbent […]

Uranium fuel company Cameco and environmental investment firm Brookfield Renewable Partners announced this week a strategic partnership aimed at purchasing Westinghouse Electric Company, according to a press release. If the deal closes as planned, Cameco will own a 49% stake in Westinghouse and Brookfield Renewable will control 51% of the company, according to a Tuesday […]